Pope Francis photo released for first time since he fell ill

For the first time since his admittance to the hospital in mid-February, the Vatican released a photo of Pope Francis.

In the photo, the pope is shown seated in a wheelchair wearing a cassock and stole.

The Vatican's press office said Francis, 88, "concelebrated Holy Mass in the chapel of his apartment on the tenth floor of the Gemelli Polyclinic," the hospital where he has been treated since February 14 due to a complicated case of pneumonia in both lungs.

"I am going through a time of trial, and I join many sick brothers and sisters," the pope said, adding that while the body is weak, "nothing can stop us from loving, praying, giving ourselves and being there for one another in faith."

The Pope also prayed for those injured by war in "Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo."

The Holy See described the pope's condition as stable, but it is not yet known when he will be discharged from the hospital.

Large-scale prayers in pope's native Argentina

In Pope Francis' native Argentina, thousands of people gathered at a church on the outskirts of Buenos Aires to pray for the 88-year-old, Reuters news agency reported.

Those taking part were bearing drums, cymbals, flags and cans of holy water.

"Long live pope Francis," one priest told the congregation.

With many of the congregation's visitors coming from poor neighborhoods, the priest said the congregation would have been to the pope's liking.

"This is how we should live the church as Pope Francis teaches us, a poor church for the poor," he said.

While he served as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis earned the nickname "the slum pope" due to his closeness to the poor and underprivileged.